Chiragh Kumar has a task at hand

Chiragh Kumar is right on the bubble as he battles for position at the Dubai Open

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Chiragh Kumar is right on the bubble as he battles for position at the Dubai Open

 

Edited by Anand Datla

 

Dubai, December 17: Thailand’s Prom Meesawat will be aiming to end his 2014 season on a winning note at the inaugural Dubai Open starting on Thursday in his hopes of finishing second on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. Chiragh Kumar, lying in 60th has plenty to play for this week.

 

India’s Chiragh Kumar, who enters the week in 60th place, said: “It’s certainly a talking point with players knowing where you stand on the bubble. But you can’t put any more pressure on yourself.”

 

Anirban Lahiri of India, currently second on the ranking, is skipping the final tournament of the season after American David Lipsky all but clinched the Merit crown with an unassailable lead following last week’s Thailand Golf Championship.

 

However, the burly Prom, who is nicknamed the Big Dolphin due to his physique and the fact that he hails from a coastal town, plans to take advantage on the leading duo’s absence by lifting the US$90,000 winner’s cheque on offer at The Els Club Dubai.

 

Filipino Angelo Que, India’s Rashid Khan and Thai veteran star Thaworn Wiratchant, already a two-time winner this year, will be amongst those chasing for victory at the Dubai Open along with 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland and England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who needs a 16th place or better here to qualify for the Masters Tournament.

 

“This is a good week for me to try to win a tournament to move myself up to second on the Order of Merit and get myself in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship next year,” said Prom, who is currently third on the Merit list.

 

“With the way I’m playing right now, I’m very confident with my game, and I’ve been playing good for a couple months. I didn’t have a good finish last week, but still, I’m playing good, hitting some good shots. Hope I will do it this week.”

 

The Thai said that he was feeling better from a freak back injury sustained while rushing out of the clubhouse to congratulate Thaworn for winning the King’s Cup three weeks ago.

 

“Right now I’m feeling a lot better, so hopefully it’s going to get better and better during the week. Yeah, almost 100 per cent right now. It’s going to be very good fun. The set-up here is very nice and it’s amazing golf course here,” said Prom, who has earned US$527,921 this season.

 

Like Prom, colourful Filipino Que has also enjoyed his career best season and is gunning for a winning week in the Dubai Open.

 

“Winning here would mean everything to me, especially this is the last event of the year. I’m very excited to be here. Everybody was talking about this new event, and that they (Filipinos in Dubai) are waiting for me to come here, and I feel at home here because a lot of Filipinos are working here,” said Que, who is sixth on the Order of Merit.

 

At the end of a busy stretch on the Asian Tour, Que said he will need to dig deep into his reserves to contend at the US$500,000 Dubai Open. He plan to also surprise his fans with an “egg plant” look in his golfing attire this week.

 

“Coming into this week, I want to win. But unfortunately I can’t say that I’m 100 per cent right now. Feeling a little bit low on energy because I’m just tired. But I really want to win, and that’s why I’m going to take the risk of not practicing today, just resting to get ready for tomorrow,” he said.

 

“I’ve been seeing my coach a lot this year and we’ve been working hard on my putting. I think it clicked during the Hong Kong Open and CIMB Classic where I pretty much holed everything. I’ve been hitting it the same pretty much at every event but the only difference was I holed more putts during Hong Kong and CIMB.”

 

As the Dubai Open is the final tournament of the season, those fighting to finish in the top-60 of the Order of Merit will certainly be feeling the heat.

 

A total of 24 MENA Golf Tour players will also feature in the 114-man field this week which includes England’s Joshua White and Zane Scotland and the region’s home players led by Ahmed Marjane Faycal Serghini and Younes El Hassani of Morocco.

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